New Study Details Which States Have The Most Gay Residents

A new Gallup poll details which states have the smallest and the largest populations of gay, transgender, and bisexual residents. The polling company referred to the gay states projects as the biggest study ever conducted regarding the LGBT population.

During the study about gay populations in individual states, Gallup researchers spoke with 206,000 Americans. The margin of error in the poll reportedly varied by state but was less than plus or minus 2 percent overall. The polling of the gay community also reportedly indicated that the national average of LGBT citizens is at 3.5 percent. All states were within points of that figure.

North Dakota has the lowest number of residents who identify as gay, transgender, or bisexual, according to the Gallup poll. A total of 1.7 percent of North Dakota’s population consider themselves a part of the LGBT community. Tennessee, Mississippi, and Montana were in a three-way tie for the state with the second lowest population of gay citizens.

North Dakota State University political science professor Kjersten Nelson had this to say about the gay populations by state study:

“I thought the study was interesting and a good basis for discussion, but I am somewhat skeptical that the LGBT population of North Dakota is only 1.7 percent.”

Fargo Human Relations Commission chairman Dave Lanpher agrees with the professor’s skepticism. Lanpher feels gay residents living in a small, rural towns in North Dakota might be less willing to talk about their sexual orientation publicly.

Although Washington, D.C., is not a state, the nation’s capital was noted in the top spot for gay residency in the United States. A total of 10 percent of residents identified themselves as part of the gay community.

Hawaii ranked in second place for the state with the highest LGBT population, the Fargo-Moorhead Inforum notes. A total of 5.1 percent of Hawaiian citizens told Gallup researchers that they were gay, transgender, or bisexual.